Colorado school board elections, 2023

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Colorado was one of 10 states where Ballotpedia provided comprehensive school board election coverage in 2023.
Learn more about our comprehensive coverage here.


Elections

The table below contains links to all school board elections within Ballotpedia's regular coverage scope in this state, which included all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population, the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

2023 Colorado School Board Elections
District Primary General Election General Runoff Election Regular term length Seats up for election Total board seats 2022-2023 enrollment
Academy School District 20 N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 25,719
Adams 12 Five Star Schools N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 5 35,747
Aurora Public Schools (Adams-Arapahoe 28J) N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 7 38,135
Bennett School District 29-J N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 5 1,296
Cherry Creek School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 5 52,392
Cheyenne Mountain School District 12 N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 5 3,737
Colorado Springs School District 11 N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 4 7 22,725
Denver Public Schools N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 7 87,883
Douglas County School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 7 62,341
Falcon School District 49 N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 5 24,517
Harrison School District Two N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 12,267
Jeffco Public Schools N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 75,327
Manitou Springs School District 14 N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 3 5 1,317
School District 27J N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 4 7 22,713
St. Vrain Valley School District N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 4 7 31,894
Widefield School District 3 N/A 11/7/2023 N/A 4 2 5 9,612

Ballotpedia is covering all other school board elections in Colorado, including those outside of our regular coverage scope. Use the links below to view all covered elections in Colorado.




Academic performance

See also: Public education in Colorado

BP-Initials-UPDATED.png The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

Education terms
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Glossary of education terms
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NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming), students in Colorado earned the highest scores in every category.[1]

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
Math - Grade 4 Math - Grade 8 Reading - Grade 4 Reading - Grade 8
Colorado 50% 42% 41% 40%
New Mexico 31% 23% 21% 22%
Utah 44% 36% 37% 39%
Wyoming 48% 38% 37% 38%
United States 41% 34% 34% 34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Colorado and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[1][2][3]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.[4]

Colorado schools reported a graduation rate of 76.9 percent, second lowest among its neighboring states.

In Colorado, more students took the ACT than the SAT, earning an average ACT score of 20.4.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State Graduation rate, 2013 Average ACT composite, 2013 Average SAT composite, 2013
Percent Quintile ranking** Score Participation rate Score Participation rate
Colorado 76.9% Fourth 20.4 100% 1,721 14%
New Mexico 70.3% Fifth 19.9 70% 1,626 12%
Utah 83% Third 20.7 100% 1,684 6%
Wyoming 77% Fourth 19.8 100% 1,757 4%
United States 81.4% 20.9 54% 1498 50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally.
Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express"
ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores"
The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Colorado was higher than the national average at 5.1 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 4.9 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

State profile

State profile

Demographic data for Colorado
 ColoradoU.S.
Total population:5,448,819316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):103,6423,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:84.2%73.6%
Black/African American:4%12.6%
Asian:2.9%5.1%
Native American:0.9%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
Two or more:3.5%3%
Hispanic/Latino:21.1%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:90.7%86.7%
College graduation rate:38.1%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$60,629$53,889
Persons below poverty level:13.5%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Colorado.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Colorado

Colorado voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in Colorado, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.[5]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Colorado had three Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.66 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More Colorado coverage on Ballotpedia

Pivot Counties

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Four of 64 Colorado counties—6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Conejos County, Colorado 3.56% 9.22% 12.93%
Huerfano County, Colorado 6.61% 8.27% 11.23%
Las Animas County, Colorado 15.60% 2.65% 7.04%
Pueblo County, Colorado 0.50% 13.99% 14.97%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Colorado with 48.2 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 43.3 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Colorado voted Republican 63.3 percent of the time and Democratic 36.7 percent of the time. Colorado voted Republican in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, but voted Democratic in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 elections.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Colorado. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[6][7]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 37 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 27.3 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 40 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 24.8 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 28 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 21.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 25 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 25.8 points. Trump won one district controlled by a Democrat heading into the 2018 elections.

Additional elections

See also: Colorado elections, 2023

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Battleground elections

Douglas County School District

See also: Douglas County School District, Colorado, elections (2023)

Ballotpedia identified the November 3, 2023, general election as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.

Incumbent Susan Meek, Brad Geiger, and Valerie Thompson won election to three seats on the Douglas County School Board in Colorado on November 7, 2023. As a result of the election, the board will have a 4-3 conservative majority. In Douglas County, candidates are required to live in the district they run to represent, but every voter in the school district votes in every race, as if each were an at-large election. The Douglas County School District served approximately 63,000 students as of the 2020-21 school year and is located south of Denver.

Heading into the election, the board had a 5-2 conservative majority. Four members of the conservative majority were elected as part of a slate in November 2021.[8] The board's two liberal members, Meek and David Ray, held two of the seats up for election in 2023. Conservative member Jason Page held the third.

Incumbent Meek, who was first elected in 2019, and Andy Jones ran in District A.

Incumbent Page, David DiCarlo, and Geiger ran in District C. The school board appointed Page to the office in June 2023 to replace former board member Elizabeth Hanson. Hanson resigned during a school board meeting in May while the district was debating revisions to its equity policy.[9]

Maria Sumnicht and Thompson ran in District F. Incumbent Ray was term-limited.

Jones, Page, and Sumnicht ran as the "Best DCSD" slate of candidates that aligned with the existing conservative majority.[10] On the slate's website, the candidates said they "are passionate about our public school district and everything we do will focus on academic excellence and alternative pathways to student success."[11]

Ray, the term-limited member of the board's minority, endorsed a candidate in each race (Meek, Geiger, and Thompson).

The other four candidates did not run as part of a slate. DiCarlo said he would be a "conservative anchor who will represent and be accountable to the citizens and taxpayers of Douglas County."[12] Geiger said he was running "to help the board work together to address...important concerns without rancor and avoiding outside political influence."[13] Meek said her top priorities were supporting "safe and welcoming schools, stable teaching and learning environments, locally-driven innovation, and equitable learning opportunities."[14] Thompson said she was running "to provide stability for our district through informed decision-making, following processes and protocols, and operating in a manner that welcomes an engaged community.”[15]

The election followed two noteworthy events. In February 2022, the board voted 4-3 along ideological lines to terminate the contract of former superintendent Corey Wise, which resulted in a $830,000 settlement. In spring 2021, amid delays in returns to in-person instruction for grades 6-12, members of the board's liberal minority were targeted in unsuccessful recall attempts. To read more about both of those events, click here.

Voters elect directors to four-year terms in odd-numbered years. The filing deadline for this election was Sept. 1, 2023.

Woodland Park School District

See also: Woodland Park School District, Colorado, elections (2023)

Ballotpedia identified the November 7, 2023, general election as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.

Incumbent Mick Bates, incumbent Cassie Kimbrell, and Keegan Barkley won election to the Woodland Park School District RE-2 school board in Teller County, Colorado, on November 7, 2023. Three districts were up for election: District A, District C, and District D.

The district had approximately 1,804 students during the 2021-2022 school year.

Incumbents Mick Bates, Dave Illingworth II, and Cassie Kimbrell ran as a slate of candidates. Illingworth was one of the four conservative candidates who won in 2021. Bates and Kimbrell were appointed to replace board members who resigned in 2022. Local Republican elected officials had endorsed all three incumbents. Their campaign priorities included: academic achievement, parental involvement, teacher wages and benefits, history and civics, school choice, education in trades, and protecting kids.[16][17][18]

Challengers Seth Bryant, Keegan Barkley, and Mike Knott also ran as a slate of candidates. The slate's campaign priorities included: quality education, safe schools, removing personal political agendas, removing untested educational standards, ensuring access to state-mandated resources, fiscal responsibility, teacher training and retention, and counseling and mental health services.[19][20][21]

The challengers also campaigned against the board's adoption of the American Birthright social studies standard. According to the Civics Alliance, the coalition that created the standard, the American Birthright standard "teaches students to identify the ideals, institutions, and individual examples of human liberty, individualism, religious freedom, and republican self-government."[22] The National Council for the Social Studies, a professional association that focuses on social studies education, criticized the standard and said it is “an attempt to return to a time when United States social studies classrooms presented a single narrative of U.S. and Western history that glorified selected aspects of history while minimizing the experiences, contributions, and perspectives of Indigenous peoples, people of color, women, the LGBTQIA+ community, the working class, and countless others.”[23]

The Colorado State Board of Education voted against adopting the American Birthright standard in October 2022, while Woodland Park was the first school district in the country to adopt it in January 2023.[24] In Colorado, the state sets minimum content standards, while local districts develop their own curricula that must meet minimum content standards. To learn more about K-12 education content standards in Colorado and other states, click here.

Another central issue in the race was the board's media relations policy. In February 2023, the board updated its media relations policy to prohibit employees from speaking to the media without the superintendent's consent.[25] The Woodland Park Education Association (WPEA) sued the district in August 2023, "seeking to strike down a prohibition on employees speaking to the press or posting on social media about school matters without the superintendent's prior approval."[26] The district said removing the media policy would increase criticism and disrupt operations.[26] On October 31, 2023, the WPEA and school district reached a federal court-mediated agreement.[27][26] The district adopted a new media relations policy the following day that "strikes the prohibitions on teachers and strikes a statement that the violation of those policies is insubordination. It clarifies that school district employees are free to express themselves in their private capacity but can’t divulge 'deliberative and confidential' information until that information has already been shared by the district to someone outside the district."[27]

Gary Brovetto, Dave Illingworth II, Suzanne Patterson, and David Rusterholtz campaigned as a conservative slate of candidates and were elected to the school board in 2021. Brovetto resigned in 2022 and the board appointed Cassie Kimbrell to replace him.[28] The board adopted the American Birthright social studies standard, barred employees from speaking to the media without the superintendent's permission, and decided against applying for mental health grants.[24][29]

Incumbent Mick Bates and Seth Bryant ran for District A. The school board appointed Bates on January 25, 2023, to replace Chris Austin.[30] Austin resigned on November 30, 2022, and said, "The direction of the new board was just incongruent with my value set."[24][31] Speaking of the board prior to 2021, Austin said, "It was a culture of collaboration. You had freedom to bring forward your thoughts and evidential data ... Then it shifted abruptly with the first meeting with the new board."[24]

Bates said, "Nationally less than 50% of student’s K-12 are doing reading and math at grade level, this includes students in our Schools as well! I am committed to using my time and energy to improve our district, and to provide a system that allows every student an opportunity to be successful."[16] Bryant said, "I believe in education that inspires patriotism and civic involvement. That being said, the American Birthright (AB) standards attempt this in the worst way possible: by depriving our students of a complete education and distorting history in a way that jeopardizes our kid's educational outcomes."[32]

Incumbent Dave Illingworth II and Keegan Barkley ran for District C. Illingworth said, "Parents are the primary educators of their children, and have the right and responsibility to direct their children’s education. This board will defend that right, and the parent’s voice, for what children need to thrive, grow, and be able to succeed as adults."[17] Barkley said she "wants to help bring our community back together and put an end to the controversy and division that some on the current board have fostered. In so doing, we will ensure that all the children of the community have the academic tools and support they require to succeed."[21]

Incumbent Cassie Kimbrell and Mike Knott ran for District D. The school board appointed Kimbrell on June 8, 2022, to replace Gary Brovetto.[28] Brovetto resigned on April 14, 2022.[28] In February of that year, a student and parent accused Brovetto of insulting students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. Brovetto said he expressed his "concern that students who have been diagnosed with ADHD or Asperger’s may have difficulty with the Summit Learning Platform"[33] and did not mean "to be demeaning or derogatory toward those afflicted with ADHD, autism or Asperger’s."[33] In his resignation letter, Brovetto said he "can no longer continue in this highly stressful hostile environment to be effective as a board member."[33]

Kimbrell said, "We should provide unique paths for students to achieve their maximum potential in academia, trades, science, arts, and technology. Parents should have the right to choose the best path for their child."[18] Knott said, "My vision is to build back the trust between the BOE and our teachers, staff, students, and parents ... to slow down the decision-making process, to evaluate the issues and policies without a political lens, to stop reckless spending, and to start putting the chaos and division within the community behind us."[19]


See also

Colorado School Boards News and Analysis
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Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
  2. ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
  3. ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
  4. ↑ StudyPoints, "What's a good SAT score or ACT score?" accessed June 7, 2015
  5. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
  6. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  7. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
  8. ↑ NBC News, "The conservative effort to take over school boards reaches fever pitch in one Colorado district," October 31, 2021
  9. ↑ Colorado Public Radio, "Douglas County school board member resigns during a meeting over ‘politicization’ of the embroiled board," May 23, 2023
  10. ↑ Best DCSD, "Meet the Candidates," accessed September 19, 2023
  11. ↑ Best DCSD, "Mission Statement," accessed September 19, 2023
  12. ↑ David DiCarlo for Douglas County School Board, "Home," accessed September 15, 2023
  13. ↑ Douglas County News Press, "Susan Meek announces re-election bid on Douglas County School Board, will face Andy Jones," June 2, 2023
  14. ↑ Re-elect Meek for DCSD," "About Susan Meek," accessed September 13, 2023
  15. ↑ Douglas County News Press, "More candidates join the Douglas County school board election," July 13, 2023
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Elect Mick Bates Woodland Park School Board, "Home," accessed October 9, 2023
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Dave Illingworth Conservative for School Board, "Home," accessed October 10, 2023
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Kimbrell Woodland Park School Board, "Home," accessed October 10, 2023
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Mike Knott Candidate for Woodland Park School District RE-2, "Home," accessed October 10, 2023
  20. ↑ Seth Bryant for WPSD, "Home," accessed October 9, 2023
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Keegan Barkley for Woodland Park School Board, "Home," accessed October 10, 2023
  22. ↑ Civics Alliance from National Association of Scholars, "American Birthright: The Civics Alliance's Model K-12 Social Studies Standards," accessed October 9, 2023
  23. ↑ National Council for the Social Studies, "NCSS Statement on American Birthright: The Civics Alliance's Model K-12 Social Studies Standards," accessed October 22, 2023
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 NBC News, "'Trump was great at this': How conservatives transformed a Colorado school district," May 9, 2023
  25. ↑ KOAA News 5, "Woodland Park School District faces another lawsuit," August 12, 2023
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Colorado Politics, "Colorado Springs' federal judge to mediate Woodland Park schools free speech suit," September 14, 2023
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 CPR News, "Woodland Park teachers win their fight to restore First Amendment rights after policy ban," November 1, 2023
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Pikes Peak Courier, "Woodland Park school board appoints new director, approves $42 million 2022-23 budget," June 17, 2022
  29. ↑ 9 News, "Teachers in southern Colorado put jobs at risk by speaking publicly about curriculum," October 5, 2023
  30. ↑ KRDO, "Woodland Park school board appoints new member, community members hold protest," January 25, 2023
  31. ↑ Pikes Peak Courier, "WPSD school board secretary Chris Austin resigns; board explores Summit Learning Platform transition," December 6, 2022
  32. ↑ Seth Bryant for WPSD, "Policy and Positions," accessed October 16, 2023
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Pikes Peak Courier, "Woodland Park school director Gary Brovetto tenders resignation," April 19, 2022
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